3:20 p.m. The state Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a Hanford whistleblower's case involving safety concerns in the design of the site's huge radioactive-waste glassification project. On Tuesday, the appeals court upheld a Benton County Superior Court ruling that Walter Tamosaitis, a former lead engineering official, did not suffer lost wages and a battered reputation when Bechtel National subcontractor URS Corp. put him in a minor post in 2010 after he pushed for more time to tackle engineering problems, according to the Tri-City Herald.Tamosaitis argued that he was exiled for bothering Bechtel and URS project leaders about the potential problems with a facility where radioactive sludge is to be handled before being converted to glass. (In 2012, Crosscut reported on several whistleblowers' complaints.) Several Hanford oversight agencies echoed his concerns about potential breakdowns and explosions in the mixing areas that could wreck equipment in a highly radioactive facility, meaning repairs could take years to do by remote control. The glassification project is significantly behind several previous schedules and way over several previous budgets. — J.S.
Hanford case dismissed
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By Floyd McKay
Floyd J. McKay, professor of journalism emeritus at Western Washington University, was a print and broadcast journalist in Oregon for three decades. He is also a historian and his new book, "Reporting
Floyd J. McKay, professor of journalism emeritus at Western Washington University, was a print and broadcast journalist in Oregon for three decades. He is also a historian and his new book, "Reporting